


Mew

by DanniCat



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Asexual Relationship, M/M, Miscommunication, Protectiveness, Self-Esteem Issues, Tom Is A Sweetheart, Way Too Much Drama, kitten play
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 10:46:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11942496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanniCat/pseuds/DanniCat
Summary: Harry and Tom are happy. Kitten finally found someone who loves him. Harry found someone who accepts him. Tom found someone to love. But when things start falling apart can Tom help assure Harry? Or will the younger boy's self-esteem issues tear them apart?





	Mew

**Author's Note:**

> The majority of this piece is based on the idea of pet play. They are loving and in an equal relationship. While it is only barely mentioned in this piece, part of Harry's self-esteem issues reflect his asexuality.

“Mew?”

“Not now kitten.”

“Mew?”

“No, kitten.”

“Mew.”

“I said no. Go back to your room, Harry. Play with your toys and stop bothering me.”

Kitten’s eyes grew wide, but he quickly turned around and slunk into a corner in the direction of the door, Tom was really mad. The other boy never called him by his other name when they played. Even when he was busy he found a few seconds to spare for his Kitten. A head rub or a treat. Even just permission to curl up against his leg. But ignoring Kitten? Telling him to go to his room?

That had never happened before. Tom had promised it would never happen.

Cutting his losses Kitten snuck out of the room doing his best to pull himself out of the space he was in. Tom didn’t want Kitten. Tom didn’t want Harry either, but kitten was more likely to tear something to shreds. That would make Tom more upset and that was the last thing Harry or kitten wanted.

It wasn’t that Kitten and Harry were really different people, Tom had asked them to try it that way for him. Harry still had a lot of kitten traits just as Kitten had Harry’s. But Litten didn’t talk and as a result didn’t tend to think things through as much. Tom had read something about it in a book about communication and it had always helped them work through things.

Unfortunately, bringing Harry back to the forefront meant dealing with the reason he’d been Kitten in the first place.

Tom hadn’t been…happy lately. Sure he’d smile and fake it but Harry could tell that it was fake. He’d refused to eat dinner with him last night for no real reason. And he went to work early and stayed late today. Any other time he might have said that it was just a coincidence or Tom had a problem at work. But he hadn’t said anything about a problem or a meeting, just gone in early and come back late.

When they’d first started going out it had been a little overwhelming. Harry hadn’t ever had someone accept him as Kitten before Tom. They’d all thought they were cute little habits that became annoying habits very quickly. Some of them thought they could break Harry of being a cat, they could not understand that Harry was not a cat. He just liked head rubs and belly rubs on his own time. And napping in a warm spot. And climbing things.

But Tom had accepted it. Helped Harry find a way to be Kitten that was good for him. Helpful to relax after a hard day. And Tom had enjoyed it too. They spent the evenings enjoying a dinner where Tom often hand fed him scraps of his own meal. Then they would curl up on the couch and watch a movie, Tom’s long fingers curling through his messy hair, acting like it was the time of his life.

Then one day Harry ate dinner with a fork and spoon. A couple days later there were no fingers running through his hair and it continued that trend until today. When Tom called him Harry and threw him out. He had no idea what caused this…he was really…he loved Tom. And not just because he was nice to Kitten.

Tom was so nice to Harry and made sure they both got what they needed and if Tom needed Harry to stop being Kitten then he could do that. Maybe it was a temporary thing, the other man may just need time to think something through, stress at work, anything really. Kitten could stay away for now.

And if Kitten needed to stay away longer, well that would be okay too.

Harry snorted quietly to himself as he made himself a small snack. It looked like any of those guys could have made him stop acting like a cat. All they needed to do was make him love them. Harry would do anything for Tom now, and he wondered if the other man was feeling overwhelmed.

He nodded to himself, he would give Tom space and act a little less like Kitten. Maybe with a little less of the clinging and neediness Tom would be able to work through everything. He bit into his slice of bread and jam before heading up to his bed.

Harry was asleep before the older boy could join him.

(0,0)

The next morning, Harry was up early to make sure Tom woke to the smell of a lovely English breakfast. Everything set out on the table, he finished just in time to hear the other man walking down the stairs.

“Kitten?” The dark haired man paused in the doorway taken in everything, “What’s this all about?”

“Good morning, Tom!” He moved over to brush a kiss against the man’s cheek, “Just wanted to make sure your day started right.”

The man blinked but pulled up a chair at the table. Harry tried to start a conversation with the man but he kept getting distracted by something and couldn’t really talk with Harry. The green eyed man shrugged, it wasn’t really that surprising. He washed his dishes and moved to the bedroom to change. When he came back he was dressed for the day the other man still seemed out of it so he just called out to him as he was leaving.

“Have a good day, Tom! I’m off to work, see you when you get home.”

The older man looked up at him with confusion evident, but called out a quiet farewell before Harry closed the door. It had taken a lot of work to crawl out of bed early and make breakfast. He usually just grabbed an apple or something as he ran out. It seemed worth it though, even if Harry still itched with the need to go curl up in the sun and Tom warmed bed.

(0,0)

Harry was still Harry a week later. It had been torturous this week but last night he had accidentally slipped up and snuggled into Tom’s side and the older man hadn’t pushed him away. So maybe they could work it out sooner than he had even dared to hope. Which was a good thing because Harry was tempted to climb the walls via the curtains more every passing day.

On the bright side today was Tom’s day off and Harry had gotten out early on account of his good behavior (okay, maybe Hermione had thrown him out because he was doing nothing but rolling his pen back and forth across his desk but he was still free!) and he wanted to surprise Tom, maybe they could go to the zoo or something? The weather was surprisingly nice for the season and it would probably help whatever was going on with them.

Gripping the door knob he slowly turned it trying to avoid the clicking of the lock. When it opened without a hitch he grinned to himself. Stepping in and shutting it just as carefully behind him. Quickly he pulled off his shoes content to pad around silently in his socks.

He’d barely made it down the hallway when the sound of Tom’s voice reached his ears. He stalked forward eagerly, until he realized that he was actually talking to someone. He was so used to Tom muttering to himself that he took a while to process that fact. Which is when he actually started hearing the words. And immediately wished Hermione had not sent him home.

“I am unsure. It is beginning to come between us and it is causing unnecessary stress on both of our lives. I do not believe I can continue like this, Harry and I are not working as we once were-”

With those words Harry’s life crumbled. He reeled away from the doorway. Apparently he really was not a cat, because he was pretty sure this was the end, there weren’t another eight lives to lean on. More so because in his haste to get away he slipped on the rug outside the living room overbalanced and went down with a resounding crash.

In the following silence he heard Tom call out for him. Before the sound of the call disconnecting rang through the air as well. Harry curled up in a ball and waited for the inevitable.

“Kitten?” Tom was standing in the hall now, looking down at Harry. Rather at the terrified mass that had folded in on itself.

The younger boy whimpered and Tom was over him in a moment, “Poor Kitten, don’t worry, we’ll get you better in no time, okay?”

Kitten frowned, he wasn’t hurt…but as Tom lifted him from the ground (Tom didn’t even have to strain, just scooped him up as though he really did weigh less than ten pounds) he vaguely registered the pain in his arm and hip as well as the broken something on the floor.

The blood spattering the hall floor caught Harry’s blurry vision but the red, brown of Tom’s eyes was what he saw before his own rolled back and everything disappeared.

(0,0)

“Tom?”

“Kitten? It’s okay, I’m here.” The attempted to roll over to see the source of the voice but only succeeded in drawing a pained whimper from his own mouth.

“Easy, Kitten. Not only did you manage to cut yourself to shreds whilst breaking my vase, you also managed to miraculously break your arm with that fall.”

Harry barely managed to tear his eyes away from the worried gaze of his…Tom long enough to see a cloth wrapped arm beside him. He guessed it was the source of the earlier pain but he couldn’t feel anything right now.

“It’s in a wrap until tomorrow, then they’ll put the actual cast on for you. I assumed you would want an obnoxious red color… You don’t remember being in the hospital do you?”

“Why did I have to go to the hospital? It wasn’t that bad…”

Tom’s laugh was bitter, cold, and unnatural, “You were in the hospital for hours. They needed to get fluids into you, make sure you hadn’t lost as much blood as it looked like you did, and they had to sedate you to even be able to wrap your arm. You kept calling for me, wanting me to do it, they couldn’t get anything done.”

Harry shook his head, he didn’t remember any of that. Or why he was in the bandage at all. He was always running into things, why was this one different?

“They said you may not remember. I think you were mostly in your headspace while you were under the sedative.”

Harry swallowed as he vaguely remembered the reason for his fall in the first place, Tom didn’t want him anymore, Harry was too much. Kitten was too much. He shied a little away from the other boy, but the non-bandaged arm was grabbed and Harry was kept firmly against his Tom’s side.

“You said some things while we were waiting for the doctors to say you should go home. Horrible things. Untrue things. Occasionally stupid things. Do you remember?”

Harry stopped trying to fight Kitten’s desire to rest his head on Tom’s shoulder, if the man wasn’t going to let him go, he was going to get as much out of this as he could. He shook his head in the negative to Tom’s question.

“You said I didn’t want you anymore. That Kitten was too annoying. You couldn’t be Kitten anymore. I would get rid of you. I didn’t like Kitten.”

Harry said nothing choosing instead to absently pick on the edge of the bandage until Tom’s hand moved to grip his own.

“You do realize that was the dumbest thing you’ve ever thought, right? I love you and I love you as Kitten. You’re both adorable and I will _never, ever_ want to get rid of either of you.”

Harry shrugged, not really sure what else he could do.

“Kitten- Harry. I need you to talk to me this time. Why did you think I didn’t want you anymore?”

The words took a while to come, Harry not quite certain that this wasn’t a trick or something.

“Called Kitten, ‘Harry’ and sent me to my room.”

Tom’s grey eyes grew wide, “That one day? That’s what made you think I didn’t want you?”

Harry shook his head, “You didn’t feed Kitten, play with Kitten, scratch Kitten, didn’t even want to cuddle with Kitten. Then Harry you didn’t even talk to. And you said you not want to continue and not working. That’s why I tripped. I wanted to leave so you not through me out.”

Tom looked at him with wide eyes, “Okay, I know you are currently in an unclear state of mind so in order to help ensure that the sedatives are no longer affecting your judgement I request that you speak in a higher register to avoid miscommunication.”

Harry took a few moments, breathing deep to help center his thoughts and bring the Harry who went to work a little closer to the surface. Neither Harry nor Kitten was exactly pleased with this development.

“I think I need to get my own place, Tom. It’s probably better if I move out.”

Grey eyes met him with a flash of something that resembled fear, “What? Why? What did I do?”

Harry shook his head, “Forget it, Tom, don’t even try to play it off. It’s been obvious for a while that you don’t want me as a kitten anymore. Now I know that you don’t even want me as Harry.”

“I… I don’t understand. Maybe if I knew what you were talking about I could…”

“Alright, Tom. You want to talk about the fact I was feeling neglected? Let’s talk about the fact you started to reject Kitten. I thought it was getting better and then _boom_ you are done with me. I’m a nuisance and a complication and you feel that you need to call and end it for your own sake.”

Harry tried to stand up, fighting against Tom’s hold and the blankets tucked tightly around him. All he wanted to do was to get out of here and go find somewhere to go and curl up in a ball. Maybe he could go back to those few blissful moments when he had forgotten that Tom no longer wanted him.

There were several seconds of Harry struggling to sit up and he could feel as Tom’s grip fell from his arm. The last of his hopes that this was just a misunderstanding shattered on their bedroom floor. Eventually he managed to lift the blankets enough to slide his feet out from under them. He kept his right arm close as he moved to push himself off the bed.

Suddenly though the grip returned to his left arm and Harry was once again immobilized.

“Kitten, Harry, I think we should really talk about all of this.”

“There’s nothing to talk about I heard you on the phone last night. It’s obvious that you no longer want me and see me as a nuisance.”

Tom’s usually perfect hair was standing in all directions as he furiously shook his head.

“I was talking to Hermione. She was warning me that I needed to fix what was going on or she was going to murder me. I told her you had been pulling away from me. I didn’t want to keep you in a relationship you were clearly unhappy with.”

“I’m not unhappy. Or I wasn’t anyway. But you’ve been pushing me away!”

Tom gave him a little smile, “Harry, have I told you what project I’m working on right now?”

Harry shrugged, “No. I thought for a while that was the problem, stuff at work, but you usually talk with me about stuff like that.”

“Apparently I need to work on communication then. I am afraid this has all been the result of one thing then: myself. I have been working on an antidote to a more varied amount of poisons. Obviously this means working with said poisons and other less than desirable objects for extended periods of time. I always wear gloves and disinfect myself as well, but one of my co-workers got sick recently. We were not sure if it was the poisons or not. So I had to take extra care with you.”

Harry frowned, “What does that have to do with anything?”

Tom smiled at his confusion before running gentle fingers through the boy’s messy black hair, “I touch these poisons, Harry. If the man got sick despite precautions I could get you sick as well. I hand feed you most nights, I could easily give it to you. Then someone pointed out that they had a kid who chewed on their hair. You tend to forget to wash your hands and you play with your hair all of the time. What if I accidentally got it in your hair while we were watching a movie?”

“Oh… So you weren’t getting upset by Kitten? Cause Kitten likes to cuddle and be loved and takes a lot of attention away from work things.”

Tom gathered the boy closer to him and buried his face in the dark strands of his Kitten’s hair, “I have never been the least bit inclined to end our relationship due to Kitten. I love Kitten. I love Harry, too.”

The smaller teen allowed himself to relax in his Tom’s arms and sagged against the toned body with a sigh. He rubbed his face against the soft cotton of the comfy shirt the other man wore. Wiggling until he was sitting in Tom’s lap.

It was hours later, wherein Tom fed him, cuddle him, played with Kitten and watched at two Disney movies (and yes one of them was _Aristocats_ ), before Harry dragged up the courage to talk to Tom about the last thing that had been bothering him.

“Tom?”

“Yes, Harry?”

“Why did you tell Kitten to go away?”

Then man sat up straighter where they were curled on the couch, “That was me reacting to something else, Harry. I…I will tell you, okay, Harry? Just, I can’t tell you quite yet. It’ll wait until you feel better. Is that okay?”

Worried that this conversation would be the one he was dreading hearing, Harry nodded once. He didn’t want Tom to tell him they were over and if all he got with the man was the time until his cast came off, then that was what he would take.

(0,0)

“Harry?”

“Tom?”

“How was your day?”

Harry shrugged, “Not bad, a lot of paperwork from Hermione but I can’t really do much else right now, anyway. Anything interesting happen with you?”

“Well actually, I got a note from the hospital today…”

Harry cursed his rotten luck and turned to look at the older man as he slipped off his shoes and laid his jacket on the back of the chair.

“Ah… Was it important then?”

“I did think it was interesting to hear that you never actually needed a cast. They said the fracture was minor enough that all you needed was a splint after all wanted to make sure you were doing the exercises they prescribed to strengthen it now that you were out of the sling.”

“Really… they, uh, must have gotten me confused with someone else. It is a big hospital after all, doesn’t surprise me that it got a little hectic over there.”

“Harry. When exactly were you planning on telling me that you didn’t need the cast?”

The green eyes flitted this way and that around the room, landing on the empty plates in his hand, “Right, I’ll just go get dinner, shall I?”

“Kitten.” The warning in Tom’s tone had Harry nearly collapsing on himself.

“I’m sorry, Tom. I just. I planned on having at least two months with you and then they went and told me I just needed a splint, if that. I would be fine in a couple of weeks. I bought a fake cast on my way back and just…didn’t mention it to any one?”

Tom frowned, “I though you would have been excited to be Kitten again more. I know it’s frustrating having to move around with that thing on your arm.”

“I just… I would rather be Harry with you than Kitten without you, Tom.”

“I thought we went over this, Harry? I want you- Kitten and all.”

“But you never said why you were pushing me away. I thought you were just waiting for the right time to tell me you had found someone else.”

Tom cursed and ran in fingers through his hair, “Dammit, Harry. You are making this impossible you know. I have dinner plans for us I was going to make as soon as your cast came off. I called to find out exactly when that was when I found out you were never getting it off because you never needed one.”

“Did you want one last night before you kicked me to the curb, find someone who would sleep with you?!”

Tom’s face filled with guilt for a half second before his righteous anger returned full force, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!? When have I _ever_ given you the impression that I expected more out of our relationship! I am perfectly happy with you!”

“Apparently you’re not!”

The next shout died in Tom’s throat as he looked at shining green eyes, “I thought you trusted me, Harry.”

The younger boy’s anger disappeared nearly as fast, “Tom?”

“Maybe, maybe if you really think that…  maybe we should break up. Maybe this isn’t working as well as I thought…”

Suddenly the reality came crashing down on the messy haired boy, Tom was really done with him, “I’m sorry, Tom. I know you would never actually cheat on me but…I’m scared. I love you and I have never been good enough for you, I’ve always known that. I hoped I would be but this… apparently I’m never going to be good enough and I just have to accept that.”

He looked up into Tom’s eyes and was shocked and a little hurt to see a smile and hope in the grey depths.

“Do you mean it?”

“Of course I do!” Harry snapped and began pacing, “Do you really think I would tell you that I’m not worthy of you if I didn’t think it was true?!”

Tom shook his head, reaching out to grip his smaller partner as the boy passed him a third time, “No. The part where you said you loved me?”

Harry blinked, “Of course, I’ve always loved you. I think I always will too.”

“Well that makes it a lot easier. Although I do want you to know that I had a thing planned. But seeing as you won’t calm down I guess it will have to be hear with you in your sweats and me in my work suit.”

Before Harry knew what was happening he was being dragged back to their bedroom, shuffling his feet. As much as he was willing to accept this was the part where Tom was going to throw his clothes in a duffel and shove it at him with the demand he leave, Harry was not going to make it any quicker than he had to.

Tom was not having his procrastination though. With a huff of irritation he bent down and caught Harry behind his knees lifting the small frame into a bridal carry despite Harry’s loud and high pitched irritation at the movement. He knocked open the door with his hip before setting the boy down, moving him around until he sat on the edge of the bed.

The older man then disappeared with an order to not move. He heard him walk into his office and pull open a drawer. He contemplated starting to pack but decided that he wouldn’t get much done before Tom came back and he’d much rather postpone the inevitable.

The taller man was back before he could even finish his thought.

“Harry Potter. You are the most irritating child I have ever met. You are headstrong and rush into things without thought. You view all the wrongs in the world as a personal offense and strive to do everything yourself and you never, _ever_ think before jumping to conclusions.”

Harry nodded slowly, this seemed like an unnecessarily long break up speech.

“And I think I love you for it. You’ve shown me that someone can love me despite my issues and belief that romance is a complete waste of time. So I ask that you continue showing me the good in the world.”

“What?” That was not where he was expecting this evening to go.

“Harry Potter. Will you do me the honor of becoming Harry Riddle nee Potter?”

“Certain I’m going to take your name then, aren’t you?”

Tom smirked and Harry felt his heart skip a beat. The box in his hands, likely retrieved from the desk drawer, was opened carefully and Harry caught sight of a small diamond in between two even smaller emeralds. The silver ring was simple, beautiful, and sophisticated. He nodded surely suddenly realizing he had yet to answer the question.

Tom smiled slightly and lifted the band, Harry caught sight of something on the inside and took it from Tom before he could slide it on Harry’s finger. The inside had two engravings. The first was simple: _Harry Riddle._

The second had a blush infusing his cheeks and his half-hearted glare had his now fiancé laughing lightly at him. Still he couldn’t help but smile as Tom took the ring from his careful scrutiny and slid it onto the appropriate finger, kissing the ring with all the propriety he could muster.

As Harry reached up to wrap his arms around the neck of his man he couldn’t help his own smile as he twirled the ring that now adorned his finger.

_My Love. My Life. My Kitten._

**Author's Note:**

> I like this idea, a lot. Let me know if anyone wants me to expand it to a series, because I think I would like to learn more about how they get together and such. Thanks for reading!


End file.
